Real American Wrestlebloghttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com
This blog predates Jack Swagger's gimmick shift by a year. I named it after Hulk Hogan's entrance theme.Wed, 16 Aug 2017 21:22:48 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngReal American Wrestlebloghttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com
King Bad News and the Wasted Crownhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/king-bad-news-and-the-wasted-crown/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/king-bad-news-and-the-wasted-crown/#respondTue, 23 Jun 2015 22:30:54 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1040]]>So, you thought Bad News Barrett winning King of the Ring this year was going to give him that one last big push and one last opportunity to make his character stick in the Main Event picture? Well, I’m afraid I’ve got some rather BAD NEWS.

Because since winning King of the Ring, Wade Barrett has only made one main card Pay Per View appearance and he was the first one eliminated from the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber match. Not only that, but he was pinned by R-Truth, who is currently serving as the WWE’s comic relief. That’s like getting pinned by Santino Marella three years ago or Damien Mizdow six months ago. In addition to that one Pay Per View main card appearance, Barrett has been the loser in the preshow match at both Payback and Money in the Bank. And the night after Money in the Bank, after R-Truth beat him, R-Truth shows up wearing a toilet paper crown and carrying a plunger. Oh, how the might have fallen.

It’s hard to believe now, but back when the Nexus first arrived, Wade Barrett was every bit as over as Kevin Owens is today. He was the face of a hot new faction that was laying the most devastating beat downs that this generation of wrestling fans have ever seen. But he got passed over for an opportunity to get pushed to the Wrestlemania 27 Main Event and instead that opportunity was given to The Miz of all people. Since then, WWE has dropped the ball on capitalizing on Barrett’s popularity with the die hard fans over and over again. He has carried the Intercontinental Championship into Wrestlemania three separate times in the past five years and not once has he came out with a victory. Yet, through it all his popularity has remained and reportedly the key decision makers in WWE remain impressed by him. Hence, he won King of the Ring this year and everything looked like it was trending up for King Bad News.

Despite the corny cliched king gimmick, the character is still over. People are eating it up. Yet, Barrett can’t seem to find his way onto the main cards or in any kind of meaningful program. His last Intercontinental Championship reign was cheated like a joke, with everybody else playing keep away with his belt. Now, he’s still stuck working with R-Truth and getting made a mockery of. And it is very entertaining. But the longer it keeps up and the longer he’s left working preshows and throwaway matches on Raw and Smackdown, the more likely it’s going to be that people stop caring. Just last summer, insider reports were that it was a three-way race to determine the next guy to get to carry the World Heavyweight Championship between Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns and Bad News Barrett. If he takes that kind of fall again from this year to next, he might just be done for. And rumor is that nagging injuries may force him to retire soon anyway. So, from WWE’s perspective, I can see why they wouldn’t want to put too much of an investment in a guy that might be retired less than a year from now. And obviously, it means more for somebody to beat the King of the Ring than it means for the King of the Ring to beat some mid-carder. Same with the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Because at the end of the day, if they lose, they’ve still got the crown or they’ve still got the briefcase for a guaranteed shot at the big title. But it’s one thing for the King of the Ring to put somebody over in a match that matters and another thing entirely to lose some throwaway match on the preshow.

Something needs to change or this guy is going to ride his career out on the lowest of notes and if that happens then what was the point of putting the crown on him in the first place?

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/king-bad-news-and-the-wasted-crown/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 – Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championshiphttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-seth-rollins-vs-dean-ambrose-for-the-wwe-championship/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-seth-rollins-vs-dean-ambrose-for-the-wwe-championship/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 02:28:17 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1030]]>Last up is the WWE Championship match that we could have been having last fall had Rollins won the title when he tried to cash in at Night of Champions instead of keeping the title on Brock Lesnar for that many months with only a couple of title defenses.

Before that though, they are announcing a rematch between John Cena and Kevin Owens in two weeks at Money in the Bank. They’re also announcing Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, Randy Ortn, Kofi Kingston and Sheamus as the participants in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

Ambrose outwrestles Rollins in a series of chain wrestling holds to begin the match. Rollins takes a long walk outside the ring to regroup. Surprisingly, Ambrose doesn’t do the typical dive out to the floor and wipe everybody out spot. Rollins back in the ring and he turns the tables and gets in a few good shots before Ambrose goes back on the attack. After a bit, Ambrose ends up in the Tree of Woe while Noble distracts the referee. Rollins climbs up over Ambrose and hits a Double Footstomp to the face, breaking Ambrose free from the Tree of Woe. Rollins dangles Ambrose part way out of the ring and beats him up on the apron from the floor. Rollins with a Snapmere and kick to the back and a cover, but Ambrose quickly kicks out. This has been a much more slow and deliberate match than I expected from these two to this point. Rollins with a wear down hold. Ambrose battles back, but ends up eating the turnbuckle. Rollins get a near fall. Rollins with a unique Elbow Smash, tries a couple of pin attempts off it, but nothing doing. J & J distract the referee some more, Rollins continues to methodically and slowly beat up Ambrose. Very slow and deliberate still in this match. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s not really either of these guy’s style. Things pick up now as both men fly off the ropes at each other with a Double Crossbody Block attempt and both men are down as the match slows back down to a crawl. Trading near falls, more chain wrestling. Ambrose ducks a kick and goes for an Atomic Drop, but instead slams Rollins face first into the mat with it. Another new innovate move thrown in tonight. Everybody is trying new things and putting on a very good show tonight. Now we get the spot where Ambrose knocks Rollins out of the ring and there is a HUGE Suicide Dive that knocks both men over the announce table and into the announce team’s laps. They had to land and then dive over the announce table, so the move wasn’t really all that good, but it’s not really possible to do that move and go over the announce table that far away. Not sure why they tried it.

Back in the ring, Rollins stacks Ambrose up, but the referee catches him with his feet in the ropes. Ambrose rams Rollins into Mercury who was up on the ring apron and rolls him up for a near fall. Superkick on Ambrose for a near fall. The fight goes out to the floor and Rollins hits his Turnbuckle Powerbomb spot into the barricade instead of the corner. Back in the ring, Rollins covers him, but Ambrose kicks out. Rollins off the top with a Flying Knee Smash to the side of the head and covers him for another near fall. Rollins with a big Reverse DDT for another near fall. Rollins beats on Ambrose in the corner and badmouths him and then charges in with a Flying Forearm Strike in the corner. Rollins slaps Ambrose around a bit and continues to taunt him. Another Forearm Smash in the corner, but Ambrose no sells it and follows Rollins back across the ring and smashes him in the corner. Tornado DDT on Rollins and covers him for a near fall. More back and forth, Rollins goes for a Flying Knee Strike from the top rope, but Ambrose dodges into a Pendulum Clothesline off the ropes and Rollins does a full rotation to land on his face. Ambrose covers for a near fall. Ambrose off the top with his Flying Elbow Drop / Crossbody on a standing opponent for another near fall. JBL promises to eat his hat if Ambrose leaves with the title. Ambrose setting up for Dirty Deeds, but J & J cause a distraction, allowing Rollins to Thrust Kick Ambrose in the gut. Rollins dives out to the floor, tackling Ambrose into the table. Quickly back into the ring for another Pendulum Clothesline spot and Ambrose knocks everybody down and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but instead of diving onto Rollins in the ring, he dives out to the floor and wipes out Kane and J & J all in one go. Rollins out after him and Ambrose hits another Pendulum Clothesline off the ring apron. Back in the ring, Ambrose up top, dives at Rollins, but Rollins pulls the referee in the way and Ambrose takes out the referee. Rollins goes for the Pedigree, but Ambrose counters. Rollins up top for the Phoenix Splash, but Ambrose rolls out of the way. Dirty Deeds and the cover, but the referee is out. Second official comes out and makes the three count.

HOLY CRAP! Ambrose is the Champion! NEW CHAMPION! But now the original referee is back up and says he’s disqualifying Rollins. Ambrose wins by DQ. Dusty Finish. Dammit. Now they try a beat down on Ambrose, but Reigns comes out to make the save. Reigns and Ambrose clean house and Ambrose hoists up the title. Ambrose grabs a mic and declares that since he won the match, he’s taking the belt. Ambrose and Reigns leave through the crowd with the title and Ambrose says the new champ is buying the beers. However, it won’t be official. Very entertaining nonetheless. They got me with the damn Dusty Finish. But still, a very entertaining end to a very good Pay Per View. This might end up being the best WWE Pay Per View of the year. WWE certainly didn’t drop the ball tonight.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-seth-rollins-vs-dean-ambrose-for-the-wwe-championship/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 – First Ever Intercontinental Championship Chamber Matchhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-intercontinental-championship-chamber-match/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-intercontinental-championship-chamber-match/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 01:51:55 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1026]]>The second Elimination Chamber match is coming up next. Former Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan is at ringside to present the title to the new champion. As noted, Rusev is out with a broken foot and we find out right away with the first entry who his replacement is as Mark Henry makes his way to the ring and is locked in a pod. Sheamus comes out next, so he won’t be starting out the match either. R-Truth is the third one to come out, so he’ll be in a pod as well. Ryback is the last one to be locked in a pod, meaning Dolph Ziggler will start the match off against King Barrett.

A series of near falls between Barrett and Ziggler to start off the match. Barrett slams Ziggler face first into the corner and delivers a Snap Suplex for a near fall. Barrett works Ziggler over in the corner, punches to the kidneys and abdominals. Barrett props Ziggler up, laying him out across the top turnbuckle and clubs him repeatedly over the back and then gets a running start and punts him in the gut. Barrett with a Reverse Chinlock wear down / catch your breath hold. Ziggler counters out with a Jawbreaker. Outstanding Dropkick from Ziggler. Follows it up with a Neckbreaker and a big Elbow Drop for a near fall. The fight goes out of the ring where Barrett slams Ziggler into the side of Ryback’s pod and badmouths Ryback. Ryback responds that he will “Eat Your Ass Alive” to Barrett. Barrett slams Ziggler into the chains and the countdown winds down and Barrett retreats to the middle of the ring to await the new entrant.

R-Truth’s pod opens and Barrett is there to ambush him and beat him down in the pod. Barrett slams Truth up against the inside of the pod a few times. Truth gets one kick in and Barrett beats him down again. Barrett takes Truth out of the pod and slams him into the chains. Barrett goes back after Ziggler. Ziggler kicks him in the gut. Barrett knocks Ziggler back down with a Big Boot. Lawler calls Barrett Snuffleupagus Face. Truth gets in a kick to Barrett’s nose and a Missile Dropkick for a near fall. Truth with a Front Suplex, but Barrett lands on his knees instead of taking the move. Truth follows up with an Axe Kick and Barrett rolls over to the corner. Truth with a Flying Lariat into the corner and goes for something else, but Barrett counters into the Winds of Change for a near fall. Barrett kicks Ziggler in the gut and then a kick to the jaw with Ziggler down on his knees. Barrett makes the cover, but Ziggler kicks out. Barrett throws ZIggler out over the top rope, but Ziggler hangs on to keep from crashing to the steel grate. Barrett rams Ziggler into Henry’s pod and pod breaks. Henry is standing in a broken pod and decides to enter the match early. Henry takes the fight to Barrett and hits an Atomic Leg Drop and covers him, but Barrett kicks out.

Countdown winds down and Ryback enters and it seems like Henry is gonna be allowed to stay in, so that’s four fewer minutes that this match is going to go on waiting for the last entrant. Ryback and Sheamus are gonna enter ahead of schedule as a result as well it seems. Ryback is hitting anything that moves and follows Barrett into a corner with a Clothesline and then follows up with a Spinebuster. Ryback is thrown out. Barrett goes for the Winds of Change on Ziggler, but Ziggler counters into a Crucifix Pin Combination and Mark Henry stands by watching as Barrett gets the upper hand and covers Ziggler, but then breaks it up and beats down Barrett in the corner. Barrett fires back with some Knee Strikes and then goes for the Bull Hammer, but Dolph cuts him off with a Superkick. Ryback hoists Barrett up and drops him Snake Eyes on the corner and Barrett stumbles into the Lie Detector from Truth who pins Barrett for the three count and King Barrett is the first one eliminated. The remaining four men square off as Sheamus waits in his pod. Ryback and Ziggler fight in one corner while Truth and Henry fight in the opposite corner. Ryback charges over and Splashes Henry and Truth in the corner.

Countdown winds down and Sheamus is supposed to be released, but his pod is stuck and won’t open. Ziggler and Ryback watch and wait for Sheamus until Truth rolls up Ryback for a near fall. Ziggler then rolls up Truth. Ryback rolls up Ziggler, nobody gets pinned. Now they triple team Henry and Sheamus is still in his pod. Superkick and a Spinebuster on Henry and then Ryback Clotheslines Ziggler. Ryback hits Truth with the Shellshock and pins him for the three count. Ryback with a Hesitation Suplex on Dolph. Long one. Really long one. Has time to stop and talk to Sheamus. Then finally drops him. Ryback sets up for the Meat Hook Clothesline as Ziggler stumbles up, but Ryback runs into a Superkick. Henry, Ziggler and Ryabck down for a breather. Sheamus still unable to exit his pod. Sheamus unjams the pod, which he had jammed in there to keep himself locked in his pod, revealing why the pod wouldn’t open, but the announce team thinks he used it to pick the lock somehow. Sheamus slams Ziggler through one of the sides of the pod. Sheamus dumps Ryback out to the steel floor. Bodyslam on Sheamus from Henry, but Sheamus kicks out of the pin attempt. Sheamus knocks Henry out with the Brogue Kick and covers him for the three count.

Sheamus, Ziggler and Ryback are the last three left and Sheamus is the only one standing. He works Ryback over and slams him into the chain wall a few times. Now he puts Dolph back into the ring. Sheamus pummels Dolph and hits a Short-arm Clothesline. Shoves Ziggler around with his boot a few times and now Dolph fires back. Sheamus with a Suplex Toss on Ziggler and covers him, but Ziggler kicks out for a near fall. Another Suplex Toss, but it’s countered into a rollup for a near fall. Back Body Drop countered into another pin by Ziggler for a near fall. Ziggler goes for a Snap DDT, but Sheamus blocks it. Ziggler bounces back and hits it on the second try and covers him for a near fall. Ryback now back in and goes for a Powerbomb on Ziggler, but Ziggler slips free down the back and hits a Superkick. Ziggler ducks a Brogue and hits the Fameasser, but Sheamus no sells it and comes right back up and hits the Brogue Kick and covers Dolph for the three count.

Sheamus and Ryback are the final two left in this match. Sheamus with a Running Knee to the gut. Follows up with a Running Powerslam that he only runs about half a step for and covers him for a near fall. Sheamus slaps Ryback around and yells a bit, then points out to Daniel Bryan and the title. Ryback back up, knocks Sheamus down with a series of Shoulder Blocks and a Slam. Ryback with a Running Powerslam on Sheamus and he at least took a step and a half on his. Ryback calling for the Meat Hook. Sheamus drops down and rolls out of the ring. Sheamus does something with his pod and cross necklace again. It’s jammed back in the door, locking the pod. Must have something to do with the finish of the match. White Noise on the steel floor of the chamber. Back in the ring, Sheamus covers Ryback for a near fall. 12 Beats of the Bourin countered as Ryback pulls Sheamus over him into a Hip Toss on the steel. Sheamus with a Rolling Bodyslam. Goes for the Brogue Kick, but Ryback drops down and catches him and Powerbombs him into the side of the cage and then Powerbomb throws him back into the ring. Ryback back in with the Shellshock and covers Sheamus for the three count.

Ryback is the NEW Intercontinental Champion. I was thinking the more Sheamus played around with that necklace, he was going to use it in the finish to win the title, but Ryback comes away with his first championship in WWE. Daniel Bryan now comes into the ring as the Chamber is lifted up and Bryan congratulates “The Ryback” and presents him with the title, giving him the rub from a guy that’s more over than he is. Ryback thanks him and calls him an inspiration and accepts the title. The two lead the crowd in Feed Me More Chants together before Bryan exits and gives Ryback his moment to celebrate alone.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-intercontinental-championship-chamber-match/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 – Neville vs. Bo Dallashttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-neville-vs-bo-dallas/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-neville-vs-bo-dallas/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 01:41:25 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1023]]>And Neville and Bo Dallas are given the task of following that outstanding John Cena vs. Kevin Owens match. We still have another Elimination Chamber and Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose yet to come and already Elimination Chamber is looking like potentially the best WWE Show of the year.

Neville dominates the early going despite the storyline knee injury and takes Bo down with a Moonsault out to the floor. Neville with a Reverse Chinlock on Dallas and Dallas ties up in the ropes and whines about Neville not accepting his help. Neville kicks him and Dallas suckers him in and dumps him out to the floor. Dallas ties Neville’s arm up in the ring skirt and Elbows him in the head a few times and then puts him up on the apron and smothers him with the ring skirt. Bo with a Front Facelock on Neville, Neville fights back up and Bo grabs him by the hair and flings him over backward and covers him for a near fall. Bo goes back to the Front Facelock. Bo roughs up Neville with some Short-arm Elbow Smashes to the side of the head. Neville ducks one and runs Bo off into the corner. Bo gets rammed head first into the middle turnbuckle and rolls out to the floor where he lays spread eagle and regroups. Bo back in before he can get counted out. Neville with a flurry of kciks and bounces with a Running Kick to the side of the head. Neville with a Standing Shooting Star Press and covers him for a near fall. Bo shoves Neville down and then rams his head into his gut. Bo with a Side Headlock, goes for the Bo Dog, but Neville counters, knocks Bo flat and goes up to the top rope. Red Arrow for the win.

Good match for a cool-down match after Cena vs. Owens. Neville continues to go over another mid-carder in his initial push, as expected. In the back, Triple H comes up to Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns and tells them that he heard about Reigns saying he would be in Ambrose’s corner tonight, but HHH says if he shows up out there during the match, Ambrose will be disqualified.

The two guys stare each other down and take turns hoisting up their respective titles. Cliche, but people are into it. They lock up as the match starts. Headlock from Owens on Cena. Cena audibly calls for the move and says “I’ll give you one.” He then shoves Owens off into the ropes and Leapfrogs him and does the low bridge and Owens jumps over him and Cena pops back up and flattens Owens with a Shoulder Block, but Owens is right back up. They square off again and Owens beats Cena down in the corner. Cena counters a whip into the corner and follows up with a Running Bulldog. Owens hits a Big Boot and roughs up Cena over in the ropes and out on the ring apron. Owens kicks Cena and whips him into the corner and Cena drops in a heap, doing his best to put Owens over and sell his moves. Owens knocks Cena down again with a jab and kicks him some more. Owens with the cover, easy kick out. Owens with a Reverse Chinlock, but Cena fights back up of course. Oh, but he’s gonna sell it some more and drops back down to one knee and then to his ass while they rest some more. Cena fights back up again and forces the elbow up off his throat and separates his hands. Cena goes for the AA, but Owens counters and connects with a DDT. Owens covers Cena for a near fall. Owens gets in a few more punches and now calls for Cena to get up and knocks him back down with a Big Boot. Owens plays to the crowd. Then he knocks Cena down with another big right hand. Cena with a Schoolboy for a near fall, but Owens knocks him back on his ass with a Clothesline. Owens pummels Cena and then bounces off the ropes with a Back Splash and gets another near fall. Owens is dominating the offense in the match to this point. That doesn’t happen very much with Cena against a guy that isn’t like the Big Show or Great Khali. Cena now battles back with Shoulder Tackles and goes for a Flying Crossbody, but Owens catches him into a Spinning Crucifix Slam. Owens with the Rollout Cannonball move in the corner and covers Cena for another near fall. Owens tells Cena it’s time to give up and punches him in the mouth, but Cena fires back an they trade punches back and forth. Owens goes for the Pop-up Powerbomb, but it’s blocked and Cena connects with the Flying Shoulder Block, then the Spinning German Suplex and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the AA, but Owens counters and shoves Cena into the ropes and hits the Pop-up Powerbomb and covers him, but Cena again kicks out for a near fall. Owens goes to the top rope, but Cena crotches him. They fight on the middle rope and Owens Headbutts Cena and knocks him down. Owens goes fora Moonsault, but Cena moves out of the way and Owens crashes. Cena hits the AA, but Owens kicks out for a near fall. I thought that was the end of this one, but it continues. Great match so far. Outstanding work. Both guys are catching their breath. Owens deserves a breather after that breathtaking Moonsault attempt. He showcased phenomenal agility on that one. Nobody else his size could do that. Owens hits a Superkick, but doesn’t go for the cover. Owens mocks Cena and goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Cena grabs him by the leg and trips him up and locks in the STF. Owens drags himself to the ropes, but Cena drags him back to the middle. Owens blocks Cena trying to put the STF back on. Back up to his feet and Owens hits Cena with the AA and covers him for a near fall. Owens is having easily the best match of his WWE career so far. Cena counters Owens charging him in the corner and hits a Tornado DDT, diving off the middle rope. Cena heads up top and hits the Guillotine Leg Drop to the back of the neck with Owens bent over and covers him, but Owens kicks out for a near fall. Cena drags Owens back up and goes for the AA, but Owens blocks it. Owens with a Package PIledriver set up, but remembers Piledrivers are banned in WWE and changes course with it into a Side Slam variation. Owens covers Cena for a near fall. Owens says it’s over and clobbers Cena with another big right hand and yells at him to stay down. Cena on one knee, pops up with a rapid right hand. Trading big right hands. Owens with a Knee to the gut, whips Cena into the ropes. Cena ducks a Clothesline and springboards off the ropes into the Springboard Stunner and covers him for a near fall. Cena puts Owens up on the top turnbuckle and climbs up after him. Cena sets up for a Superplex, but Owens counters into another phenomenal unique Suplex counter, Angle Slam style with a spin. Cover for a near fall. Owens heads up to the top rope and hits a Senton Bomb and covers for another very close near fall. Off the breather, Cena flattens Owens with a huge Clothesline and takes a rest. Cena stumbles around and hugs the ropes before charging back at Owens again and Owens catches him with the Pop-up Powerbomb and covers him for the three count.

Phenomenal Match and Kevin Owens is getting pushed to the stratosphere with a debut win over John Cena and he beat him clean in maybe the match of the year! Outstanding work. This is shaping up like the best Pay Per View of the year potentially.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-john-cena-vs-kevin-owens/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 – Divas Championship Triple Threat Matchhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-divas-championship-triple-threat-match/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-divas-championship-triple-threat-match/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 00:45:23 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1011]]>Following the tag team Elimination Chamber, the announce team reviews Rusev’s injury and the unknown factor this adds to the Intercontinental Championship Chamber Match. Rusev tweets that the stupid American doctors won’t let him compete because of a little broken foot. He says in his country, he would put on duct tape and fight. Lana gives Dolph Ziggler some words of encouragement.

The Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship is up next as Nikki Bella makes her way to the ring. Naomi and Paige come out next. As announced on the preshow, both Tamina and Brie Bella have been barred from ringside. In the early going, Naomi slams Nikki into the announce table and she’s down and out on the floor. Paige gets a near fall off a Bodyslam and goes through a trio of Short-arm Clotheslines on Naomi. Paige kicks Nikki trying to get back in the ring, knocking her down. Fallaway Slam on Naomi. Cover for a near fall. Nikki back in. Facebreaker from Nikki on Paige. Nikki splashes both challengers in the corner. Alabama Slam on Paige. Naomi rolls Nikki up in a Schoolgirl for a near fall. Naomi clubs Nikki in the corner and covers Paige for a near fall and then stomps on her gut. Naomi posts Nikki and Nikki crashes back out to the floor. Naomi works over Paige and hits a Snap Suplex. Standing Leg Drop from Naomi on Paige. Naomi taunts the crowd. Naomi puts Paige up on the top turnbuckle backward and climbs up after her. Paige fights her off long enough for Nikki to break it up with a Tower of Doom move. Nikki covers Naomi. Near fall. Nikki covers Paige. Near fall. Cliche. Moving on. Nikki sets up for the Rack Attack on Paige, but Naomi breaks it up with the Rear View. Naomi covers Nikki, but Paige breaks it up. PTO locked in on Nikki, but Naomi hits a Superkick to break it up. Cover on Paige for a near fall. Naomi ends up on Paige’s shoulders and does a botched Reverse Frankensteiner and covers her, but Paige kicks out for a near fall. Great work though. Never seen divas do that before. Nikki ducks an Enziguri from Naomi and hits her with the Rack Attack. Nikki covers Naomi for the three count and retains the championship.

Brie shows up to help her celebrate. The Bellas run atop the Divas division will continue for the time being. This wasn’s up to the standard that the NXT ladies set, but it was very good for a Divas match, particularly one that featured Nikki Bella. Well done.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-divas-championship-triple-threat-match/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 – First ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber Matchhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-tag-team-elimination-chamber-match/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-tag-team-elimination-chamber-match/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 00:17:15 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=1005]]>We kick off the main card of tonight’s show with the first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber match. The WWE Tag Team Championships are on the line in this one. The Prime Time Players enter first. Los Matadores come in next and El Torito is hoisted up and stands on top of their pod. Apparently, he will be allowed to stay in the chamber as well. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd come out next. And New Day are the final entries to be locked in a pod. This leaves The Ascension and Lucha Dragons as the only two teams left, thus those two teams start the match, assuming that we don’t see Luke Harper & Erick Rowan pull an Edge and steal somebody else’s spot. Here comes The Ascension. Only one team left to enter. And here come the Lucha Dragons. No surprise entries in this one it seems as the Chamber is locked.

Ascension aggressive early, but Lucha Dragons counter into simultaneous Moonsaults. Konnor chucks both Lucha Dragons out to the steel grating. They take turns kicking Konnor in the head. Kalisto hits a Flying Crossbody, following by a Flying Senton from Sin Cara. Dragons work over Konnor and Viktor in the corner. Ascension both turn the tables and beat down the Lucha Dragons in the corner. Kalisto goes to the top of New Day’s pod while Ascension work over Sin Cara. New Day pull Kalisto’s legs through the chains and prevent him from helping his partner. Both Ascension climb to the top rope and try to pull Kaliso off the pod, but Kalisto kicks them both in the head and knocks them down. Sin Cara goes up to the top of Cesaro & Kidd’s pod. Sin Cara hits Viktor with a Senton from the top of the pod. Kalisto is still sitting there on top of New Day’s pod. Now he stands up and Lucha chants, but New Day trip him again and crotch him on top of their pod’s chains.

Countdown ensues and the next team is released and it’s Cesaro and Kidd. Cesaro and Kidd work over The Ascension and get a near fall on Konnor with a 3D into a European Upper Cut instead of a Cutter. Kidd goes up after Kalisto and tries to free him from the top of New Day’s pod. Kalisto knocks him down and Cesaro leap frogs Kidd and lands on the top rope and then hops up and hits Kalisto with a Flying European Upper Cut. Cesaro then Superplexes Kalisto from the top of the pod and Kidd hits a Springboard Elbow Drop off the top rope and makes the cover, but Sin Cara breaks it up in time to save his partner from elimination. Cesaro and Kidd chuck the Lucha Dragons out of the ring. Now, they go back to beating on Ascension while Lucha Dragons get a breather outside the ring. Viktor flattens Kidd and covers him, but Cesaro makes the save. Kidd trips up Viktor and puts him in the Sharpshooter. Konnor quickly breaks it up. Cesaro throws Viktor out of the ring. Sin Cara back in with a whirlybird special and drives Cesaro into the mat. Kalisto goes for a Hurricanranna on Cesaro outside the ring, but Cesaro catches him. Kalisto ends up on the chains and climbs up on the PTPs pod. Lots of near falls and powerslams in the ring while Kalisto stays on top of the pod while we get a new countdown.

Los Matadores come in and El Torito dives off the top of the pod an dhits a Hurricanranna on Cesaro. Bodies everywhere as Kalisto climbs all the way up the ceiling of the pod and hangs swinging from the top of the pod and lets himself fall down into The Ascension and Cesaro. Los Matadores go for some covers, but don’t get a three count on anybody. Now Torito is copying Kalisto. Torito drops off on Ascension, but is caught and then chuck him into Primo out of the ring and then hit Epico with the Fall of Man and get a three count for the first elimination. Lucha Dragons dive in and take down both members of The Ascension. Ascension back on the attack and hit Kalisto with the Fall of Man and cover him for their second elimination of the match. Ascension work over Kidd and Cesaro as we get a new countdown and the Prime Time Players come in next. Of course, New Day is last.

PTPs battle Ascension and Titus clobbers Viktor outside the ring and throws him into the chain wall several times. Darren Young hits his Double Gutbuster finish on Viktor and covers him and The Ascension is gone. PTPs now work over Cesaro and Kidd. Kidd counters into a Spinning Fisherman Suplex, only to get steamrolled by Titus. Cesaro then Clotheslines Titus and puts Darren up on the top turnbuckle and hits a terrific Suplex to Young sitting on the top turnbuckle. Cesaro with a Gutwrench Superplex on Young while Titus Powerbombs Cesaro. Can’t have one of these matches without the cliche Tower of Doom spot. Titus hits Kidd with a huge Spinebuster. Young covers Kidd for a near fall. New Day is now clammoring to get into the match with all 4 men down in the ring.

Countdown ensues and here they come, using their numbers advantage and clobbering everyone. Cesaro blocks a Triple Suplex and both Cesaro & Kidd and the PTPs Suplex all 3 members of New Day and the numbers are reversed as it’s 4 on 3 now. Cesaro and Kidd lock Woods back in the New Day’s pod. Cesaro and Kidd dominate in the ring and execute the Giant Swing into a Dropkick on Kingston. Darren Young rolls up Cesaro from behind in a Schoolboy and gets the surprise three count and Cesaro and Kidd are eliminated.

It’s down to New Day against the Prime Time Players and now Big E has let Xavier back out of the pod and it’s a 3-on-2 beatdown. Big E and Xavier whip Titus into a Double Knee Blast to the face from Kofi in the corner. They choke Titus on the chains and kick the crap out of him outside the ring 3-on-1. Titus is now out of commission for the moment while they triple team Young. They set up for a move off the top rope, but Young counters and knocks everybody down and hurls Big E through the ropes in the corner where he crashes into the ring post and bangs his head off the pod. Everybody catches a breather.

Titus back up and knocks out Xavier with a Big Boot. Young drops Kofi onto the top rope and Titus slams Big E against the chains a few times. Kofi throws Young over the turnbuckle in the corner and sends him crashing to the steal. Titus catches Kofi and slings him into the chains a few times. Titus flattens Big E with a Clothesline in the ring. Darren catches Kofi off the ropes on his shoulders and does the Double Gutbuster finish into the cover, but Kingston kicks out for a near fall. Titus whips Big E into the ropes, but Big E catches him with an Elbow to the face. Big E with a Belly-to-Belly on Young on the steel. Big E charges Titus and is caught in a Powerslam for a cover and a near fall. Titus catches Xavier going for a Flying Crossbody and slams him down onto his knee. Kofi charges out of the corner and hits Titus with Trouble in Paradise, knocking him over with Woods landing on top of him. Big E and Kofi pile on in a three man cover and get the three count.

New Day celebrates as they retain the championships. Outstanding action in this one. It was hard to keep up at times. I’m not sure exactly what they thought they would accomplish by sending Kalisto up to dangle from the ceiling, but the move was very bland and they made him hang up there for a long time and he looked like he almost feel three or four different times. The match was anything but boring, even though it ate up the first 40 minutes or so of the Pay Per View. There was all kinds of moves that I’ve never seen before in decades of watching professional wrestling.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-first-ever-tag-team-elimination-chamber-match/feed/0husteadLive Reactions – Elimination Chamber 2015 Preshowhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-preshow/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-preshow/#respondSun, 31 May 2015 23:04:05 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=995]]>Within the last hour before the Kickoff show went live, it was announced on wwe.com that Rusev had not been cleared to compete and thus will not be a part of the Elimination Chamber for the Intercontinental Championship tonight, meaning that we have a surprise opening in that chamber match.

On the preshow, Booker T announces that his sources are telling him Rusev will be replaced in the Elimination Chamber by a former World Heavyweight Champion. That points to potentially The Miz, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Big Show, Kane or Randy Orton. Unless somebody like a Chris Jericho were to make a surprise appearance tonight.

Backstage, Kane is talking in the Authority’s office with all 3 members of New Day and New Day asks to be rewarded for helping The Authority out against Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Kane reveals that he has decided that all three members of New Day will be allowed to compete in the Elimination Chamber tonight. Xavier asks if this means they will get a bigger pod so that all three of them can fit. Kane looks confused and says if that is going to cause a problem, he can arrange for New Day to start the match and make them go through every other team. Big E and Kofi then immediately cover Xavier’s mouth before he can make things worse and says it won’t be a problem, they’ll fit. So, the bottom line is that we know all 3 members of New Day will be in the match and they will not be one of the two teams starting the match.

Another announcement was made on the preshow, this time having to do with the Divas Championship match. A ruling has been made during the Divas Championship Triple Threat match, nobody will be allowed at ringside. That means that Brie Bella and Tamina won’t be in Nikki Bella and Naomi’s respective corners. That means we will likely have a better match than just a couple of minutes full of interference and then a quick pin and a new champion. However, even with them banned from ringside, I wouldn’t rule out some kind of interference taking place.

At ringside, the announce team talks about the Tough Enough auditions and then we have an impromptu, unannanounced preshow match as Zack Ryder makes his way to the ring. I don’t think Ryder has had a singles match on a Pay Per View / PPV Preshow in over a year. Tonight, he’s taking on Stardust, who lost to R-Truth on the Payback preshow two weeks ago.

Stardust controls the early going, mostly working the torso and Ryder’s left arm. Ryder counters a Vertical Suplex into a Neckbreaker and the tables are turned. Very nice Missile Dropkick from Ryder off the ring apron to the floor. The announce team plays up Stardust’s run-in with Stephen Amell on Raw last week. Ryder hits the Broski Boot and goes for the Rough Ryder, but Stardust blocks it. Stardust ends up winning with the Cross Rhodes. JBL says it’s now called the Queen’s Crossbow, playing up a potential Stardust / Amell program.

Tom Phillips interviews Lana. She sells the beef between her and Rusev and gets gooey over Ziggler. In case you missed Smackdown, Rusev is no longer waving a Russian flag. Instead, he’s waving a Bulgarian flag. That’s a step that seems like Rusev and Lana won’t be reuniting to swerve Ziggler, but you never know.

The Miz returns, announced by Summer Rae. Miz is wearing an even crappier version of his black man-dress from his last run. Not only is he a boring performer and a below average wrestler, but he continues to have the worst fashion sense of anybody on the planet. He’s interviewing Daniel Bryan on a Miz-TV segment. Miz does the typical heel thing and asks Bryan a question and then interrupts and answers it himself. Bryan says his career is not over and he WILL be back. Bryan promotes his upcoming book. Miz says that due to doctor’s orders, Byran can’t touch him and he can’t touch Bryan. However, Bryan says that he finds Miz-TV boring and has an alternative solution to continuing it and points to the back and Macho Mandow and Axelmania make their way to the ring and clobber Miz. Axel drops the leg on Miz and Miz rolls out to the floor and retreats. The Faux Mega Powers pose down with Daniel Bryan to end the segment.

Dean Ambrose is being interviewed. Ambrose says that no matter what the Authority has planned, he’s going down swinging. Roman Reigns shows up and says that Ambrose only has to worry about Seth Rollins tonight because he will be in the corner.

JBL closes down the preshow, standing inside the Elimination Chamber and reviews the rules of the Chamber match. The chamber is set up, so it looks like one of the two Elimination Chamber matches is coming up first on the main card.

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/live-reactions-elimination-chamber-2015-preshow/feed/0husteadBrock Lesnar WWE return dates announcedhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/brock-lesnar-wwe-return-dates-announced/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/brock-lesnar-wwe-return-dates-announced/#respondThu, 28 May 2015 16:21:48 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=993]]>Living in rural Missouri, my best chances to attend WWE events are either in Kansas City or St. Louis and as a result I receive e-mail promotions from WWE about upcoming events in those two cities and today I received some very big promotional news about Battleground in St. Louis on July 19.

WWE and the Scottrade Center are announcing that Brock Lesnar will return to action at the Battleground Pay Per View July 19. After the way he left, the speculation is obviously that he would face Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship. He is also reportedly being advertised for Raw on June 22 in Indianapolis, presumably then to set up for his match at Battleground.

Here is the full e-mail notification that I received word for word.

“Lesnar Returns for WWE Battleground PPV

For the first time in over 2 years “The Beast” Brock Lesnar will be live in St. Louis at the WWE Battleground PPV! See what unfolds when Brock makes his return to action at the Scottrade Center on Sunday July 19th.

In addition you will see United States Champion John Cena, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, St. Louis’ own Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, The Divas and many more as the WWE Battleground PPV come to St. Louis for the first time ever!

Tickets are on sale now at the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center and through Ticketmaster. Scottrade Center Insiders can also take advantage of a special WWE 4-pack offer and receive 4 tickets for the price of 3 on select seats through ticketmaster.com .”

]]>https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/brock-lesnar-wwe-return-dates-announced/feed/0husteadWho’s Hot and Who’s Not – 05/26/15 Editionhttps://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/whos-hot-and-whos-not-052615-edition/
https://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/whos-hot-and-whos-not-052615-edition/#respondTue, 26 May 2015 16:16:15 +0000http://realamericanwrestleblog.wordpress.com/?p=991]]>This is a pretty self-explanatory post and will possibly become a regular feature here at the Real American Wrestleblog. Let’s dive right in and see how it goes.

Who’s Hot

#1 – Kevin Owens – Owens won the NXT Championship just two months after his arrival at NXT R-Evolution. Despite his two championship matches with Sami Zayn (at NXT Rival and NXT Unstoppable) being aborted by referee interference, Owens has not lost any steam. In the first match with Zayn, the result was what amounted to a TKO, which wasn’t ideal, but it was palatable because it set up for what we thought would be an epic rematch. However, the second match was unable to finish due to multiple referees, the NXT commissioner and finally the debuting Samoa Joe getting in between Owens and Zayn and not allowing Owens to finish Zayn off. Despite all of that, Kevin Owens is as over with the crowd as ever, just like every WWE signing to come out of ROH has been. And now, this Sunday, Owens gets to make his WWE main roster PPV debut with a one-on-one match against John Cena. When was the last time somebody making their PPV debut was given a match with John Cena? My best guess would be maybe Carlito’s lackey Jesus back during their United States Championship rivalry back in 2004. It says a lot about WWE’s opinion of Owens, especially since he’s not the most in-shape of athletes, to put him in the ring with the face of the company on his first major WWE event.

#2 – Dean Ambrose – In what week would this list be complete without Dean Ambrose? But he has to be here this week, especially since he’s getting a one-on-one opportunity for the WWE Championship this Sunday at the Elimination Chamber. Ambrose’s antics usually make him the highlight of the night every single week on both Raw and Smackdown. It’s not just the Lunatic Fringe crazy antics, but it’s the over the top theatrics and top notch ring psychology that have made him an unwavering fan favorite since The Shield turned face approximately 15 months ago. Win or lose, no matter what the outcome of any given match, Ambrose seems to come out of it better than he went in.

#3 – John Cena – Cena’s United States Championship Open Challenge, since it began, has provided the best match of the night on every episode of Monday Night Raw where the match wasn’t interrupted by interference. Cena has really stepped up his game in the ring, adding that new Springboard Stunner maneuver to his arsenal. Plus, defending the title every week against an unknown challenger adds a lot of drama and entertainment value to the show, even if we know that no matter who it is that answers the challenge, Cena is still leaving with the belt. At this moment in time, Cena might just be the best entertainer that he’s ever been.

Who’s Not

#1 – Stardust – Other than using the bag of spiders to steal a win over R-Truth on Raw a few weeks ago, when was the last time that Stardust won a match? He lost to Truth on the Payback preshow. He lost to Neville last night. He lost to his big brother back at Fastlane. He lost in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match at Wrestlemania. And he lost back in either the second or third United States Championship open challenge that Cena offered. Any other wins that he’s picked up in 2015 have not been very memorable. As much as I enjoyed the Goldust / Stardust tag team for a while, it’s gotta be about time for Cody to take off the facepaint and get back to what worked for him before.

#2 – The Bella Twins – Nikki and Brie got steam-rolled by Naomi and Tamina at Payback. When Nikki came out to rescue Paige on Raw last week, she tripped on the apron leaving the ring and fell flat on her face trying to chase Naomi and Tamina up the rampway. And heel or face, the Bellas just aren’t getting much of a reaction from the crowd, it seems to me. It’s well past time to give some different divas a chance. I predict we see a new Divas Champion this Sunday at Elimination Chamber.

#3 – Adam Rose – Instead of wrestling every week, Rose appears relegated to making out with Rosa Mendes backstage. And when it happens, Kane is usually walking by or forced to otherwise bear witness to this unsavory sight. It definitely feels like another run-in with the Big Red Machine is looming in Rose’s future and it won’t have a happy ending. Next time time, since the Rosebuds have been dismissed,there won’t be The Bunny or any other of the other residents of the Exotic Express to shield Rose from Kane’s destruction.